Heads-up play sparks Bulldogs

Celina's Kyle White, 12, fights for control of the ball against Fremont Ross' Jo. . .

FINDLAY - Given the conditions, the Celina Bulldogs went all out to make sure their Division I boys soccer sectional would not need more than 80 minutes of regulation play.

Brian Dorsten went all-out, literally, to head a crossing pass into the net for the lone goal of the game as the Bulldogs defeated Fremont Ross 1-0 at Graham Soccer Stadium in Findlay.

The Bulldogs (12-2-2) return to Findlay on Thursday at 7 p.m. to play the top-seeded host Trojans. Findlay defeated Celina earlier in the season.

The Little Giants end their season at 6-9-2 despite a great defensive performance that kept Celina scoreless for just over 51 minutes of play.

The wet, chilly and breezy conditions made for a soggy night for both teams as Celina clearly dominated the attack, outshooting Fremont Ross 20-1 in the contest.

"I like how we controlled most of the game," said Celina coach Bruce Strine. "We aren't finishing again. That's been our problem the last 5-6 games."

Keeping Celina scoreless for the most part was Little Giant keeper Bobby Gipe, who came up with a solid performance to record 12 saves in the contest.

"(Gipe) made some big saves on us," said Strine. "He had great hands, considering how wet it was out there."

After a scoreless first half, Celina continued to try to find an opening on Gipe and the Little Giants. As the clock approached 28 minutes to go, the Bulldogs got an opening.

Aaron Schmitt fired a perfect crossing pass into the box. Dorsten and a Fremont defender went up, with Dorsten not only getting the head on the ball but (Continued from page 1B)

also his defender. Gipe got a piece of the ball, but not enough to deflect its motion to goal, giving Celina the lead with 28:19 to go.

Dorsten, however paid the price, hitting the ground and not coming up for several moments. Dorsten was able to go back to the bench with some help and did not come back into the game. Dorsten appeared to be all right after the game.

"It was a great header," said Strine. "Nice cross. We had a couple of nice crosses we should have scored on tonight and we didn't.

"The keeper got his fingers on it. It skidded off the top of his fingers. The keeper was in position. It was a nice effort on Dorsten's part."

From there, Celina racheted up the defense even more while trying to find an insurance goal against the Little Giants. The Bulldogs tried 11 more shots after the goal, but the ones that Gipe did not stop went wide or high.

"The elements weren't exactly for anybody out here, but both teams played hard," said Strine. "It was just a good game to see. I like how we slowed the game down and how we distributed the ball.

Now the Bulldogs get a rematch with Findlay, a team that beat them earlier this season.

"We have to step it up on Thursday against Findlay," said Strine. "We have to finish strong. We'll practice some more on finishing, but I don't know how much more practice we can have. We just have to do it in the game."